The Weekly Authority: 🧵 All Threads, all the time

👋 Welcome to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 252nd edition is here, with Threads launch news and impressions, an official Galaxy Unpacked launch date, more exclusive Pixel 8 info, and more.

🍔 Hadlee here this time, standing in for a sick Paula (get well soon!). This weekend, I plan to eat all the unhealthy things, play some games, and then try to make up for that by going for a forest walk and a quick cycle.

Popular news this week

Samsung:

• Samsung has announced a July 26 date for Galaxy Unpacked: Expect foldables, watches, and more on the day.
• Speaking of, you can save $50 off one of these devices by making a reservation ahead of the launch.
• The Galaxy S21 FE is getting a relaunch in a major market: A big leak has revealed specs and pricing.
• The company brought Quick Share to non-Samsung computers: There’s a major caveat though.
• Samsung has launched a One UI 5.1.1 beta: Expect plenty of improvements.
• Here’s everything we know about a rumored Galaxy Ring.
• Got a tattooed wrist and having issues with your Galaxy Watch? Samsung is working on a fix.
• Images of a real-world Galaxy Z Fold 5 emerged online: We’ve got a virtually gapless design.

Google:

• Another Pixel 8 series exclusive this time, as we reveal battery and charging details.
• Speaking of the Pixel 8 line, a real-life image of the Pixel 8 Pro was posted on Reddit.
• We might not see a proper Google chip until the Pixel 10: But there’s still good news for this first fully custom processor.
• No one will be able to buy Google’s ADT-4 Android TV box: Not even developers.
• Google has updated its privacy policy to train its AI on everything you post online.
• Another day, another Google messaging mess: It now wants Chat to be the next WhatsApp.
• Google’s now the number two brand in at least one key market: This country also accounted for the most Pixels shipped, beating the US.
• YouTube is fixing one of its most annoying problems for Premium subscribers.
• The Pixel Watch could be getting a ‘Wear OS Beta Program’.
• Watch the Pixel Fold catastrophically break when folded the other way: Courtesy of JerryRigEverything on YouTube.

Nothing:

• You can grab Nothing Phone 2 wallpapers right now thanks to leakers.
• A new leak has also dished out Phone 2 camera and display details.
• Nothing Phone 2 price and spec leak is here to kill the mystery: More expensive than the Phone 1?
• Here are Nothing Phone 2 camera samples compared to Phone 1 shots: We’re not allowed to draw our own conclusions yet, but you’re welcome to analyze away.
• Another look at the Nothing Phone 2 in case you can’t get enough of it.
• Nothing phones could get features that work on nothing but Nothing.

OnePlus:

• OnePlus is blurring the lines between flagship and mid-range again with the Nord 3.
• The new OnePlus foldable might not be called Fold after all, according to a trusted leaker.
• The upcoming foldable is also tipped to arrive with a special version of Oxygen OS.
• Plus, Everything you need to know about the OnePlus Fold in our updated rumor hub.

Motorola:

• Still no word on US pricing for the standard Razr, but the Indian launch gives us some clues.

Apple:

• Apple could finally switch to USB-C for all AirPods: Talk about an overdue move.
• Should you buy the iPhone 14 or wait for the iPhone 15?
• There’s a new low price on the 2023 MacBook Air: A bit of a surprise as it only launched last month.
• Analysts expect iPhone 15 Pro Max price jump: Android phones could be next.

Social media:

• Instagram takes on Twitter with Threads: Now available on Android and iOS, and here’s what you should know.
• Unfortunately, Threads will skip the EU for now due to regulatory hurdles.
• Twitter has also outlined its purported reasons for limiting access to the service.
• AMAs are the latest casualty in Reddit’s API war: Expect fake AMAs to be a thing without the work of moderators.
• Why Instagram is taking on Twitter with Threads: A neat interview with Instagram’s chief about the new app.
• The time has come as (most) third-party Reddit apps shut down: What a shame, I used Sync for Reddit for over a decade.
• Deleting your Threads account will also kill your Instagram profile: That’s some silliness, right there.
• Twitter sent a legal threat to ‘cheating’ Threads, as the new platform garnered 30 million signups.

Space:

• Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket lifted off today for the last time, as it will be retired after 27 years of service.
• Astronomers have observed meteor-like ‘shooting stars’ on the Sun, albeit made out of plasma.

AI:

• ChatGPT’s Bing browsing feature disabled over paywall access flaw: That is, it could occasionally bypass paywalls on websites.
• What are ChatGPT plugins, and how do you use them?: Our guide to the chat platform’s plugins.
• Humans can use AI to make music and still bag a Grammy: Some clarification from the awards organizers.

Elsewhere:

• Sony’s XM5 headphones have dropped to $299 for the first time: Definitely worth a look, although I’m still happy with the XM3 cans.
• T-Mobile owns the US for 5G coverage, according to a new report.
• The first phone with 24GB of RAM and an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is here: It also brings a cooling fan and up to 1TB of storage.
• The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 is joining a packed foldable launch calendar: Xiaomi confirmed an August launch for the new foldie.
• Please don’t buy this $2,200 smartphone: A ton of users have complained about missed orders and a lack of refunds for the firm’s previous phone.
• Pixel 4-style hands-free gestures could come to another phone brand.
• Poll: How much RAM does your phone have?
• Wallpaper Wednesday: More wallpapers for your use, submitted by readers and AA team members.
• The new HONOR 90 promises to be easy on your eyes in all the right ways.
• You can now buy the deGoogled and ethically sourced FairPhone 4 in the US: Hopefully US consumers give this device a FairShake (sorry).

Movies/TV:

• Ever suffered from this Disney Plus error code? We’ve got a guide to assist.
• Every movie and show coming to Netflix in July.
• LG’s Magic Remote is what finally got me to leave Roku behind.
• The best movies of 2023 so far.
• Disney deletes streaming movie that only released in May: Another argument for content preservation?
• The most anticipated movies in the second half of 2023.

Gaming:

• Microsoft gives away Sony’s plans for a PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro: The legal and regulatory gift that keeps on giving.
• EA Sports FC’s release window leaks: No surprise here.
• Sega documents from the 1990s have leaked: “We are killing Sony,” said former CEO Tom Kalinske of the ill-fated Saturn’s performance in Japan. Oof.
• GTA 5 returns to Game Pass, but for how long this time?
• Friday The 13th devs unlock almost everything for players ahead of delisting: The game is set to be delisted in December, so you’ve got a while to jump back in.
• The Steam Summer Sale is still on, with the promotion running until July 13.
• Battlebit Remastered has sold over 1.5 million copies since its launch: A blocky Battlefield-style game that’s become the latest sensation.

Reviews

• Motorola Razr Plus review: The best Galaxy Z Flip rival in years? (Android Authority)
• HUAWEI Watch Ultimate review: Should you buy it? (Android Authority)
• Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One review: Tom Cruise soars but the women fly higher (Collider)

Features

• I love my ASUS ROG Ally, but you shouldn’t buy one (yet): I’ve thought about getting this or a Steam Deck before. But, you know, financial goals and all that.
• Colleague Aamir Siddiqui tried Threads and he reckons Twitter is in trouble.
• Fed up of rubbish headphone presets? This free app cured my frustration.
• Google One plans weren’t cutting it for me, so I went for lifetime cloud storage: I still use a 100GB Google One plan, but the lifetime storage is handy for review devices and other non-essential files.
• The real danger of AI isn’t hyper-intelligence, it’s human stupidity.
• Unless Samsung gets flirty with Fitbit, the Galaxy Watch 6 may fall flat
• All these Pixel Watch updates are hyping me up for the Pixel Watch 2, says resident Pixel Watch owner Rita El-Khoury.
• Colleague Dhruv Bhutani reckons you shouldn’t wait for Magic Editor thanks to Photoshop AI.
• The Zenfone 10 makes me miss Google’s Nexus series.
• One-inch phone cameras are amazing, but they need DSLR-like lenses.

Weekly Wonder

Gaming publisher Valve announced a major milestone this week, confirming that the Steam Deck handheld console now has 10,000 verified or playable PC titles (h/t: The Verge). That’s a huge deal, even if there are some minor caveats.

• It’s worth noting, for one, that “playable” doesn’t mean there are no flaws.
• So expect some of these games to have bugs, varying from minor to potentially game-breaking.
• But this is still a massive, massive milestone for Valve and the Steam Deck.
• The Deck runs the Linux-based SteamOS, so Valve is forced to use Proton software to run Windows games without a native Linux port.
• The milestone shows that Linux gaming is indeed a viable endeavor.
• Does that mean we could see the return of Steam Machines (PCs running SteamOS)? I’m not quite sure, but I’m keen to see more handhelds running this platform.
• Colleague Riley Ballantyne also pointed out that this could be a boon for some PC enthusiasts who build their own computers.
• More specifically, these enthusiasts might think twice about dropping cash on Windows now that Linux gaming is in such a good space. That’s $140 that could go to other components or accessories.
• The news comes a few weeks after Apple launched a toolkit to easily run Windows games on MacOS computers.
• There are still a few problems with non-Windows platforms right now, but Microsoft’s position as the default computer gaming platform seems to be slowly eroding.

Tech Calendar

• July 11: Nothing Phone 2 launch @ 11:00 AM ET
• July 11-12: Amazon Prime Day
• July 26: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked @ 7:00 AM ET
• August: Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 launch
• October 24-26: Snapdragon Summit 2023 (Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?)

Tech Tweet of the Week

Mark Zuckerberg just posted his first tweet since 2012. The timing is impeccable.

Something extra: Ever wondered about the diet of working-class people in the Victorian era? Well, this disgusting video is for you then (spoilers: it features jellied eels).

Have a great week!

Hadlee Simons, Editor